Rotary pump



April 21, 1953 c. H. BRAWLEY ROTARY PUMP 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 21, 1945 nrraelva April 21, 1953 I c. H. BRAWLEY ROTARY PUMP 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Dec. 21, 1945 MIME-N702 c0 05 .6. gamma-1 WAM firraeA/sx April 21, 1953 c. H. BRAWLEY 2,635,548

ROTARY PUMP Filed Dec. 21, 1945 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 CZ V05 1 EE/QKULEV,

IN VEN TOR.

Patented Apr. 21, 1953 ROTARY PUMP Clyde H. Brawley, Hanford, Calif., assignor, by

mesne assignments, to Brawley Pump Company, San Gabriel, Calif., a. copartnership ApplicationDecember 21, 1945, Serial No. 636,399

- 1 This invention relates to pumps, and particularly to a pump, the duty of which is to pump a liquid carrying a considerable quantity of solid material. This pump is intended to be used for pumping out sumps of different kinds, and pumping water carrying sand, or gravel, for example, in building up land fills near a beach, or in similar operations. When solid material is present in a liquid, it is practically impossible to employ a reciprocating pump in forcing liquid through a delivery line. Even when rotary pumps of ordinary construction are employed for this purpose, solid material in the liquid being pumped exerts a very destructive action upon the impeller or rotor when it comes in contact with the same. I

One of the objects of the present invention i to produce a rotary type pump having features of construction which will enable it to accelerate, and deliver, the liquid being pumped while involvmg a minimum amount of contact between the solid material carried in the liquid, and the impelling elements of the rotor or impeller.

More specifically stated, it is one of the objects of this invention to provide a pumphaving features of construction which will enable it to create a swirl of the liquid being pumped, and in which the pumped liquid is forced to rotate in a swirl ring, as it were, at a high velocity, the construction being such that the pumped liquid is admitted into this swirl in such a manner that it comes under the influence of this swirl before it can impinge upon the driving face or driving elements of the rotating impeller; also to 'construct the face of the impeller in such a way that impellin elements on this face are protected as far as possible from direct contact with the solid material in the pumped liquid. In other words, itis one of, my aims to produce a pump in which the rotor develops a swirl in the mass of liquid passing through the pump, that is rotatin at a high velocity around an axis, the liquid inlet to the pump being located so that it directs the incoming liquid into this swirling mass of liquid instead of against the impeller, and the operation being such that the swirling mass of liquid exerts its accelerating force upon the incoming liquid and accelerates it, and particularly the solid material carried by it, to a velocity more or less approximating the average velocity of the swirling mass. In this way, the incoming solid material is, as it were, handled by the swirl, and delivered from the pump with a minimum amount of contact with the impeller.

Further objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

'13 Claims. (Cl. 103-103) The invention consist in the novel parts and combinations of parts to be described hereinafter, all of which contribute to produce an efficient pump.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is de scribed in the following specification, while the broad scope of the invention is pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal, vertical section through a rotary pump embodying my invention, and illus trating a construction in which the inlet of the pump admits the incoming liquid along the axis of the pump and into the swirl chamber at a point opposite to the location of the impeller or rotor,

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the pump embody ing this invention, and illustrating a construction in which the liquid to be pumped is admitted through the side wall of the'casing oppositeto the location of the impeller, and into the swirling chamber of the pump in a general tangential direction with respect to the direction in which the swirl revolves. I

Fig. 2a is a vertical section taken about on the line 2a2a on Fig. 2, and with a portion of the inlet broken away and shown in section;

Fig. 3 is a vertical centra1 section taken about on the line 3-3 of Fig. 4, and illustrating a modification of the embodiment of the invention illus trated in Fig. 1. In the modification illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, a swirl developed by the rotor is directed into a helix in which the mass of liquid in the swirl, moves away from the plane in which the rotor rotates as it passes to the delivery outlet ofthe pump. l l Fig. 4 is a sectiontaken'ab'out on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3, further illustrating the general arrangement of the features of construction of this modification, and also illustrating the location and arrangement of the impeller elements or blades of the rotor. I

n Fig. 5 is a side elevation illustrating an embodi ment of the invention that combines an-inlet of the type shown in Fig. 2a with the pump features illustrated for the impeller and casing .that are illustrated in Figures 3 and 4. So, this view shows the parts of Fig. 3 as viewed from the right side, with a portion of the near flange and pump casing broken away to shoW the inlet. q 4

Referring to the embodiment of the. invention disclosed in Fig. 1, the pump casing includes two side, walls I and 2, which are substantially fiat or disk-form walls, and these two walls are connected by a circumferential wall '3. In this way, a pumping chamber 4 is formed within the casing, which I call a swirl, or whirl chamber, because it is filled when the pump is operating, by a mass of the pumped liquid that is swirling about the axis of this chamber. This swirl is developed by means of a rotor or impeller 5 which is disposed substantially wholly outside of the swirl chamber, that is to say, the impelling means of the rotor is so located; and in this way I substantially eliminate contact of the solid material in the liquid with the impelling means of the rotor which, of course, creates the swirl.

In the present instance, the liquid to be pumped, is admitted through an inlet 6 which is tubular neck located substantially on the axis of the swirl chamber 4 which, in the present instance, substantially coincides with the axis of rotation of the rotor, the details of which will be presently described.

The tubular neck 6 is formed at its end with a flange l for effecting connection to a supply of liquid carrying the solid material that is to be pumped.

In the present construction, the rotor 5 is recessed into the wall 2. It is of substantially disk-form with an annular chamber 8 on its working face, the depth of which, measured from the working face of the disk of the rotor, increases toward the periphery of the rotor disk. In other words, the material 9 which constitutes the nave or middle portion of this disk, projects toward the swirl chamber, and the major part of the surface of the chamber 8 is a conical surface l0. At the base of this conical surface the chamber profile, in cross-section, is of arcuate form so that any liquid entering the chamber and flowing in a general outward direction as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1, will be deflected by this arcuate surface H and directed back into the swirl chamber.

The rotor 5 is rigidly secured by a key or other suitable means, to its driving shaft l2, which is shown in Fig. 1 as broken off, it being understood that in practice, this shaft will be connected to a motor or other means for rotating it at. a high speed.

In order to protect the end of the shaft l2 and the middle portion of the rotor 5 from erosion by impact with any portions of the solid material that might possibly pass through the center of, the swirl of liquid. in the swirl chamber, I prefer to provide the middle portion of the rotor 5 and the end of the shaft l2 with a protecting cap 13', the outer surface of which presents a conical portion N that is disposed on the, same angle of inclination as the conical surface [0, so that it constitutes substantially a continuation of the same. This cap is carried on a threaded shank I 4w that is screwed into the end of the shaft, and after being screwed up tight, the cap is held against working loose bymeans of a dowel screw l5 inserted from the fiat central surface I6 of the cap. In the present instance, the annular chamber 8 is provided with a plurality of blades or impellers I! that extend in a general radial direction, but preferably in the direction indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 4. These blades l'l exert a rotating effect upon-the liquid at the side of the swirl, and cause the adjacent portion of the liquid to move at a high velocity, rotating around the axis of the shaft 12. This rotation is imparted thereby to the entire cross-section of the mass of water in the swirl. As the supplied liquid moves into the central'portion, or vortex of the swirl, it is given a circumferential movement by the mass of liquid in the swirl, and as the swirl is rotating at a high velocity, the centrifugal force is considerable, and immediately acts to accelerate the solid particles outward radially and in the plane in which the swirl is rotating, that is to say, toward the circumferential wall 3. The pump illustrated in Fig. 1 is shown with a delivery neck I8 having an inner diameter substantially equal to the distance between the side walls I and 2 of the pump, and this neck in the present instance, extends upward, being provided with a flange I9 at its end for attachment to the delivery line to which the pump is delivering the pumped liquid.

The disk rotor 5 fits neatly within a bored opening in the wall 2, and this opening is closed by a shaft housing and bonnet 2| having a disk portion 22 that operates as a bonnet for the opening, tightened down onto an annular seat 23 by means of circumferentially spaced studs 24.

Inv the present instance, the shaft I2 is illustrated as provided with a wear-sleeve 25 of hardened steel running in a stuffing-box 26 in the form of a bushing with its flange countersunk into the inner face of the housing 2|. The chamber within the stufling-box 26 is provided with mechanical packing 21 backed up by a gland 28 that can be advanced from. time to time by means of a stuffing-box nut 29 having a thread connection 30 with the projecting end of the stufling-box.

The stuffing-box 26 and its associated parts are carried in a chamber 30b in the housingZl that may be provided with a tapered threaded opening 3! provided with a removable plug 32 to give drainage for the interiorof this chamber when necessary. Openings 30a in the side walls of this chamber, permit thenut 28 to be brought into the chamber 30 in assembling the parts.

The shaft 12 runs free through a cross-head or partition wall 33 beyond which it carries a roller bearing 34, the outer ring of which is seated in an annular bearing cup or seat 35.. Beyond this point the shaft is connected to a motor or any other means for driving it. In Fig. 1, the pump casing is illustrated as castv integral with short legs 36. They are located respectively toward each side and terminate in a flange 3'! to seat upon a foundation, and to be provided with holding-down bolts, not illustrated.

Instead of admitting the liquid to be pumped, on'the axis of the swirl, Imay admit it at a point in the swirl chamber considerably removed from the axis of the swirl. This is very advantageous because it gives more opportunity to the momentum of the moving mass of water in the swirl, to impart its velocity to any solid material coming in with the liquid. This is illustrated in Fig. 2, which is a. section through the pump shaft on the same side on which the impeller or rotor 38 is located. In Fig. 2, I illustrate an inlet 39 for this purpose, the axis of which is inclined to the plane of rotation of the swirl, and this axis is also inclined in a vertical plane in which it is located, as indicated in the drawing. This, of course, places the flange 40 of the inlet in an inclined position as shown. This placement, for the inlet neck 39, operates to admit the water flowing down through it in a general tangential direction to the direction of movement of the liquid in the swirl at the point of admission, but the inclination of the axis in the vertical plane in which it is located, assists in effecting the quick entrance of the incoming liquid to the body of the swirl. The opening 4| in Fig. 2, indicates approximately the intersection between the inlet neck 39 and the side wall of the casing remote from the impeller. The direction of rotation of the rotor is, of course, anti-clockwise, as indicated by the dotted arrow in this view, and the delivery from the pump is through a substantially vertical delivery neck 42.

In Figs. 3 and 4, I illustrate another embodiment of the invention in which the swirl developed in the pumped liquid, is guided out of the plane of the swirl to the outlet along a substantially helical line. This feature seems to enable the pump to develop a higher delivery velocity and pressure, enabling the pump to deliver against a greater head than is practicable with the construction of the pump illustrated in Fig. 1. As illustrated in Fig. 3, the impeller 43 or this pump is of relatively larger diameter than that shown in Fig. 1, and is so large in diameter that it substantially constitutes the entire wall of the pump casing on that side. The pump casing 44 is cast with a pump chamber 45 that is disposed along a helical line, so that the axis of the swirl is guided or directed away from the driving face of the impeller 43, and over into line with an upright outlet 46, with a flange 41 at its upper end for attaching it to a delivery line or the like. In Fig. 4, the direction and arrangement of the blades 48 of this impeller are illustrated. They are all at their inner ends substantially tangent to a hub circle or hub outline 49, and extend outwardly in a general radial direction so that they extend rearwardly with respect to the direction of rotation indicated by the arrow in this view. The bonnet for thispump illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, will be substantially the same as the bonnet illustrated in Fig. 1; also the bearing for the shaft 50.

The inner face 5| of the rotor or impeller 43, is also constructed substantially like the inner face of the impeller 5 illustrated in Fig. 1.

In Fig. 5 I illustrate an embodiment of the invention in which an inlet 39a admits the liquid into the swirl chamber in a substantially tangential direction, into a pump casing 44a. of the helical duct type shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4.

Many other embodiments of the invention may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a rotary pump capable of pump quid and solid material carried in suspension therein, the combination of a casing having side walls and a connecting circumferential wall cooperating with the same to form a swirl chamber for the liquid through which a portion of the liquid and the solid material suspended therein passes, a rotor mounted for rotation at the side of the swirl chamber, and having driving means for developing a swirl of the pumped liquid about an axis in the swirl chamber, said rotor located substantially wholly outside of the swirl chamber; and means for admitting the liquid and solid matter carried thereby, to be pumped, into the swirl within the swirl chamber, thereby substantially eliminating contact between the solid material and the rotor.

2. A rotary pump according to claim 1 for pumping liquid carrying solid material, in which the casing has side walls and a circumferential wall connecting the same and defining a swirl chamber disposed about an axis, said casing having a delivery outlet extending substantially tan-1 gentially from said circumferential wall, and in which the rotor is of substantially disk form mounted for rotation on an axis, said disk form rotor having a chamber in its inner face with impeller blades in said chamber, and operating when rotated, to develop a swirl in the liquid.

3. A rotary pump according to claim 2, in which the said chamber has its greatest depth toward the periphery of the rotor.

4. A rotary pump according to claim 1, including an inlet located on said axis for admitting the liquid through the side wall opposite to the rotor, the material of the disk having a central projection projecting toward the inlet and located substantially in line with the axis.

5. A rotary pump according to claim 1, including an inlet for admitting the liquid through the side wall lying opposite to the rotor, operating to admit the liquid along a line lying in a plane extending substantially tangentially to the swirl".

6. A rotary pump according to claim 1-, in which the means for admitting the liquid to be pumped is an inlet the axis of which is located out of line with the axis of rotation of the rotor so that it directs the admitted liquid into a'portion of the swirl removed from the axis of rotation of the swirl.

'7. A rotary pump comprising a housing having an inlet and an outlet, an impeller rotatably mounted on the housing, said housing having a side wall opposed to said impeller, the impeller being spaced from its opposed wall of the housing by a distance substantially equal to the width of the inlet and outlet so that material may pass therethrough from the inlet to the outlet without clog ing.

8. A rotary pump comprising a cylindrically shaped housing having an axially arranged inlet in a side wall thereof and a peripheral outlet, an impeller rotatably mounted upon the housing for rotation axially thereof, said impeller being spaced from the wall of the housing in which the inlet is formed by a distance substantially equal to the width of the outlet whereby debris entering the housing may pass through said space and through the outlet without clogging.

9. A rotary pump comprising a cylindrically shaped housing having an axially arranged inlet in a side wall thereof and a peripheral outlet, an impeller rotatably mounted upon the housing for rotation axially thereof, said impeller being spaced from the wall of the housing in which the inlet is formed by a distance substantially equal to the width of the inlet whereby material entering through the inlet may pass through said space to the outlet without clogging.

10. A rotary pump comprising a housing having a pair of opposed spaced walls, there being an inlet formed in one of said walls, there being an outlet through a wall of the housing arranged outwardly with respect to the inlet, a rotary impeller rotatably mounted upon the housing, presenting a face in spaced relation to the wall in which the inlet is formed, there being pockets formed in said face defining vanes arranged to throw fluid outwardly within the housing as the impeller is rotated.

11. A rotary pump comprising a housing having a pair of opposed spaced walls, there being an inlet formed in one of said walls, there being an outlet through a wall of the housing arranged outwardly with respect to the inlet, a rotary impeller rotatably mounted upon the housing, having a head recessed in one of said walls presentmg a face substantially flush with said wall and 7 which-is spaced from the wall in which the inlet is formed, and there being pockets formed in said face defining vanes arranged to throw fluid outwardly within the housing as the impeller is rotated.

12. A rotary pump comprising a housing having a pair of opposed walls, there being an inlet formed in one of said walls, there being an outlet through a wall of the housing arranged outward- 1y with respect to the inlet, a rotary impeller recessed in the wall of the housing opposite the inlet, said rotary impeller presenting a flat face in which is formed pockets defining vanes, said pockets presenting surfaces adjacent the edge of the impeller arranged to throw liquid entering the pockets outwardly and in a direction toward the opposed wall of the housing in which the inlet is formed, the space between the face of the impeller and the opposed walls of the housing in which the inlet is formed being substantially equal to the width of the inlet and outlet.

13. In a rotary pump for pumping liquid carrying solid bodies such as sand or gravel, the combination of a casing having side walls and a circumferential wall connecting the same, a rotor side walls spaced apart to form a swirl chamber between the rotor and the opposite side wall in which the rotation of said rotor develops a swirl in the pumpedliquid when the rotor is rotating;

8 said circumferential wall having an outlet offset out of line with the plane in which the swirl chamber lies, the side wall remote from the disc having a channel formed therein disposed along a substantially helical line extending substantiall about the axis of the rotor operating to guide the liquid from the swirl to said outlet, one of the said walls adjacent said rotor having an inlet for the liquid disposed with its axis substantially tangent to the circumferential wall so as to admit the liquid into the swirl' chamber in the direction in which the swirl is n'roving at that point in the swirl.

CLYDE H. BRAW'LEY.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,207,316 Montague Dec. 5, 1916 1,619,286 Burks Mar. 1, 192'? 1,718,396 Wheeler June 25, 1929 1,811,651 Schlachter June 23, 1931 1,951,288 Madress et al Mar. 13, 1934 2,370,438 Basebe Feb. 27, 1945 2,430,552 Bernal Nov. 11, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 96,951 Sweden Sept. 26, 1939 114,926 Great Britain 1918 377,868 Germany June 28, 1923 

